Nation will be pulling for non-phony, non-corporate Phillies

PHILADELPHIA -- The smile of Ryan Howard is unmistakable and not insincere. Just like his Phillies team, there's a wholesomeness to it. Yes, that's the word that was just used. The 'W' word. Instead of what's normally associated with this city, which is the F-bomb.

And for now, at least, there's no trace of that Howard smile being steroid tinged.

"You know, first coming up, this organization was considered to be a losing organization," Howard said. Then he paused, for a moment, to digest that thought. The Phillies were once flat-out stinkified losers. Hard to believe but true.

Now, here they are, early Thursday morning, many moments after winning the NL by beating the Dodgers 10-4, hundreds of fans and many Philly players, celebrated gleefully -- no riots, few jerks -- the toast of a town.

It's only a matter of time before they're the toast of a nation.

Do you know what this World Series will be? It'll be your classic good vs. evil phonies. That's what it is.

The Phillies, after dominating a soulless Dodgers team, are headed to the championship.

"I can't say the Phillies wanted it more than us," Joe Torre said.

I can and they did.

There's more hustle in Steve Phillips' pants than there were in the Dodgers.

Now, the New America's Team, the Phillies, will almost certainly take on the Yankees after New York finishes beating up another Cali fraud, the Angels.

These Phillies are impossible not to like, which makes them the antithesis of the Yankees and instantly a favorite of the country.

Because any team facing the Yankees in the World Series is automatically the nation's darling.

What the Phillies did to the Dodgers is what they've done in each game this postseason, which is play hard and with reckless disregard. They didn't just beat Los Angeles -- they outclassed them, in one of the more dominant NLCS performances of the past few decades.

There's something special about this Phillies club that's partly immeasurable. Words like guts are too clichéd but even for the normally cynical, the Phillies are an enthralling, mesmerizing bunch.

While the Dodgers were all GAM and no game, the Phillies are all substance and no sass.

The 21st century New America's Team, indeed.

The Yankees are formidable (scary good, really) but underestimate the Phillies at your own risk. Their eight or more runs three times in five different games this postseason is historic.

Meanwhile, the only people who can root for the Yankees are bankers and bandwagoners.

The Yankees are corporate. The Phillies are lemonade sold on the corner on a hot summer day. And the lemonade doesn't have any boli in it.

All of Philadelphia is behind Pedro Feliz and the Phillies. Next week, that should go for most of the nation, as well. (AP)

Some of the Yankees, unlike most of the Phillies, are truly hard to take. Nick Swisher is a phony, Alex Rodriguez is still suspect, and Andy Pettitte's aw golly act gets old. CC Sabathia is a terrific guy and Derek Jeter is a credit to all of sports but their levelheaded personalities and decency traits don't outweigh the overall Goldman Sach-ness of the Yankees.

Even the Yankees' celebrity fans are suspect, like the former mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He's worse than Red Sox baseball fan phonies like Ben Affleck.

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel is so down home he sweats gravy and his blood type is biscuit. Joe Girardi is an obsessive compulsive tinkerer and putterer. He makes pitching changes while deep in REM sleep. Girardi is more uptight than an Army drill instructor.

The Phillies aren't perfect. Jimmy Rollins sometimes acts like he's Nick Cannon and is a little too slick for his own good, but overall this roster oozes not with known steroid users but with decent, ego-less guys. Anyone who doesn't like Howard should have their chest cavity MRI'd for a heart.

The Phillies are a collective. The Yankees are a collection agency.

Watching the Phillies celebrate both on Monday night and then again on Wednesday after earning a World Series trip was emotional even for those of us who don't care who wins.

That's because the Phillies make you care.

That's what the New America's Team does.